Assad’s Election Gets Short Shrift in Rebel-Held Salqeen

Opposition authorities and residents of the town shun presidential ballot.

Issam Abdel Hamid
(Salqeen, Syria) – Unlike regime-controlled parts of Syria, which were bustling with voters and rallies in support of President Bashar al-Assad, the streets of Salqeen in the northern Idlib province were empty on June 3. The opposition authorities in the rebel-held town called for a general shutdown as they feared there might be air strikes on election day.
Residents who spoke on camera said they believed the election was illegitimate and should not be held during a war.